Address by Fritz Schiesser, President of the ETH Board

Speech by Fritz Schiesser, 27 November 2014 The spoken text takes precedence "The Confederation: exemplary in energy" media conference – 27 November 2014 Address by Fritz Schiesser, President of the ETH Board Madam Federal Councillor, Ladies and gentlemen, As President of the ETH Board, I am delighted to sign the letter of intent on behalf of the ETH Domain. The two Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne, together with our research institutes PSI, Empa, Eawag and WSL, are thus underlining their willingness to act as role models and their readiness to help the Confederation reach its energy targets – not only through their teaching and research, but also through infrastructure and operations in the ETH Domain. With nearly 20,000 staff, over 28,000 students and a property portfolio of more than 500 buildings and facilities, the ETH Domain has quite a substantial presence in Switzerland in terms of energy, too. Rising student numbers, as well as the expansion and increasingly technological nature of teaching, research and buildings, present a challenge as regards the ETH Domain's overall energy consumption. In our function as a role model, we have set ourselves a correspondingly ambitious energy-efficiency target. It is therefore all the more gratifying that the ETH Domain already boosted energy efficiency by 15% in the period 2006-13. If we include the efficiency increase at our supercomputer facility in Lugano, we have already achieved an improvement of over 26%. We have been able to raise renewable energy's share of our total energy consumption by 50%. We have also achieved a 13% reduction in energy consumption per capita– by fully modernising our building technology, making greater use of waste heat and investing in making our large research facilities as energy-efficient as possible. The new building constructed for the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano is representative of our integrated approach to energy management. It was built in accordance with sustainable criteria and meets the MINERGIE ECO standard. The computing centre itself is one of the most energy-efficient in the world. And the CSCS not only operates the fastest supercomputer in Europe, but also has the world's most energy-efficient computer in the petaflop category. I should now like to say a few words about the ETH Domain's own core competency in relation to the theme of "energy" – in other words, energy research. This has been a major research field in the ETH Domain for many years, and the two Federal Institutes of Technology and the four research institutes cover the entire value creation chain – from basic research through to product-oriented development that benefits our industrial companies and innovative SMEs. Page 1 of 2 Speech by Fritz Schiesser, 27 November 2014 Our energy research focuses on the reduction of CO2 emissions and on energy-efficient processes. Over 70% of the funding available for energy research is invested in researching renewable energies and energy efficiency. The ETH Domain also conducts research on the storage of sustainably generated energy and on smart grids, i.e. intelligent power, transmission and distribution networks. Another example is the pilot plant at the PSI for converting biomass (such as wood, sewage sludge, algae and agricultural waste) into methane and using this for gas supplies, as fuel or for generating electricity. In the field of motorised transport, the ETH Domain is conducting research into whether exhaust gases can be converted and reused as liquid fuel. And at Empa, with its core competencies in materials science and technological development, almost 40% of all current research activity is now related to energy, mostly in close cooperation with industry. In addition to new research projects and study programmes, the ETH Domain is also playing a leading role in the new Swiss Competence Centres for Energy Research (SCCER). These will be active in the areas of energy research that take priority – such as energy efficiency and energy systems, storage and transport. An ETH Domain institution acts as the leading house in seven out of the eight Competence Centres. Through these Competence Centres, we can work with universities, universities of applied sciences and industry to exploit synergies, thus achieving the greatest possible leverage effect in energy research. Ladies and gentlemen, the two Federal Institutes of Technology and our research institutes will continue to make strenuous efforts to increase their energy efficiency even further in the years to come. I am confident that we will be able to hit our efficiency target before 2020. Furthermore, through its research, teaching and transfer of knowledge to the economy and society, the ETH Domain is both able and determined to make a key contribution to achieving this country's ambitious energy targets. Thank you. ETH Board, Häldeliweg 15, CH-8092 Zurich, www.ethboard.ch The ETH Board is the strategic management and supervisory body of the ETH Domain. The ETH Domain is made up of the both Federal Institutes of Technology, i.e. ETH Zurich and EPFL, as well as the four federal research institutes PSI, WSL, Empa and Eawag. The members of the ETH Board are appointed by the Swiss Federal Council. The ETH Board supervises the development plans of the institutions, is responsible for strategic management accounting and ensures coordination. It draws up the budget and the financial statements of the ETH Domain and coordinates the value maintenance and continued functionality of the properties. It is the authority responsible for appointments and represents the ETH Domain before the federal authorities. A staff assists the ETH Board in the preparation and implementation of its business. Page 2 of 2 .

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